The Christmas party and final words...

Hello everyone! It's my last day here in Peru...where have 121 days gone? (Yes, that is the exact number...my roommates and I counted this weekend, just to be sure). My thoughts are going in 20 different directions right now, so this email may be a bit scattered, but I wanted to give you all one last update before I return home.

Last night was the annual Christmas party. I am so thankful that they moved the date up a bit so that our servant team could be a part. Word Made Flesh collaberates with several other organizations in Lima that work with people on the street to throw an awesome party for them. Youth were lining up at the door at 5pm to be let in, even thought we didn't let anyone in until almost 7pm. 140 people atteneded this year's party. The festivities started with the traditional Word Made Flesh dance routine. About five years ago, a servant team decided to do a dance at the Christmas party. It was a great hit, so now every year since, the staff (and servant team, if there is one there) does a dance. We did a hip-hop number to "Let's Get it Started in Here". I'm not much of a dance, but it was a lot of fun. The kids went crazy over it, so we considered it all a grand success.

After the dance, there was a mix of singing and skits by other groups. The evening ended with a meal for everyone, complete with hot chocolate and panaton (a fruitcake-like thing that is traditional fare here) for dessert. All the youth were greeted by Papa Noel (Santa Claus...aka Aaron, my teammate) and a gift (a new t-shirt or a Barney doll for the little ones) on the way out. The staff said it was the most fun, most smooth Christmas party ever...yeah!

Since almost all the youth I've worked with were there, it was also an evening of goodbyes. Goodbyes have been strange here for a couple of reasons. First, I've never said goodbyes that felt so permanent. I'd like to come back someday, but who knows when that will be and if the same youth will be around if I do (I really hope they wouldn't be around because their life situation inproves). Second, I've never felt so much love for people that I really didn't know that well. I've never had a really serious converstaion with any of the kids. The language barrier has prevented me from getting to know anyone on more than a surface level. My life and the youths' lives couldn't be more different on the surface. Also, many of the goodbyes were left unsaid. The Christmas party was a little chaotic and several youth sleipped away before I could even tell them goodbye...which may have been for the better since my emotions were a bit unpredictable last night. I couldn't believe how sad some of the youth were that we were leaving and how much they wanted us to stay. So many times during the trip I felt that no one cared that I was here. Last night helped me realize that relationships do matter. That my weak attempts at building friendships with these people was not totally in vain. Finally, I have not been prepared to think of these goodbyes as goodbyes to good friends. Over the course of these four months, I've realized that I came here, partly, because I felt like I needed to "do my part" for humanity of something. I'm leaving, though, with my eyes opened to the fact that "doing my part" is useless, in a sense. What matter is that I do whatever I'm doing with love...random thoughts, I realize...thanks for bearing with me as I get some things off my mind.

Last night was also difficult because I saw a few eye opening things that I hadn't seen before on this trip. Before the party started, we divided into two small groups and walked around the neighborhoods near the church where many of the youth spend their time to remind them all to come. On the way, we walked past these trenches, probably about three feet deep, that are part of a highway construction project. I need to tel you a little bachground before I finish this story, I just realized. A couple of months ago, Mia (one of the staff) met a group of young boys that were living under a bridge on Javier Prado (a major street). They range in age from about 8 years to 14 years old. From what I understand, these boys are truly living on the streets. Word Made Flesh is getting to know these boys better in hopes of helping to place them in some of the homes for minors in Lima or in hopes of reuniting them with their families, if they have families (which many of the street kids do, I learned. That fact suprised me because before I could not imagine leaving a family to live on the streets. Now that I've learned more about some of the families these kids come from, I can understand more how one might make that choice). Anyway, back to my story. Last week we brought a bunch of these boys to Casa Job to hang out with them for the morning. When Mia and Martin (another man who works with street kids in Lima) went to get the boys, they found them sleeping in the constuction trenches I just mentioned. I don't know if they always sleep there, but it was a big slap of reality to see that for myself.

The other hard things about last night was that I, for the first time, saw the cuts, bruises and other injuries that the kids sometimes get from the police. Two of the youth, two of my favorites that I would consider friends, had been picked up by the police over the weekend, beaten and detained. I have no idea what they had or hadn't done, but no one deserves to be beaten. They spoke about it rather casually, but I could see in their eyes the pain. What was I suppose to do with information like that? What could I do beyond say that I was sorry and put my hand on their shoulder for a moment?

Now, I don't want to end this all on a depressing note because it was far from that. In fact, I couldn't think of a better way to end my time here than this Christmas party. Seeing everyone so excited, full of energy and joy was awesome!

Besides the Christmas party, it's been a busy week of packing, sorting, last minute shopping, and saying goodbyes. Yesterday the team and Craig visited The Punto, which is a penisula that sticks out into the ocean. There are pretty parks, fun little resteraunts, beautiful ocean views...it was a great relaxing day. Tonight Ester, the amazing cook at Casa Job, is making us a special meal...yeah!! Then it's off to the airport around 10pm, fly through the night, change planes in Atlanta, and arrive in Omaha before noon. So, many of you are probably reading this after I've arrived home...hope this final entry finds you weel. I can't wait to see you all soon!

Sorry I've been such a slacker...

First, aplogies for being such a slacker at writing you all in the last few weeks. We've been busy, but, really, that's no excuse. I think the mixture of being really excited about coming home, yet really sad to be ending this time, along with being overwhelmed by thinking of saying such permanent "goodbyes" to this place has just sucked all of the motivation right out of me. So, forgive me for not staying in touch.

Now, on to a whirlwind update of the last few weeks. The weekend after I last wrote (the weekend after the soccer game), Mia (one of the staff) took us servant team women to prison. Since many of the youth that Word Made Flesh knows have to steal at some point or another in order to survive, unfortunately that means that a good number of them end up in prison at some point. Mia said there are probably about 60 youth that they know in prison right now.

I've never been to a prison before, but I'm fairly sure that the ones in the states aren't like this one. There aren't individual cells. Instead, they have different pavillions, which consist of a big building and some sort of large courtyard area. When a prisoner arrives, they have to buy a space inside to sleep, buy a bed, mattress, blankets, etc, so not everyone has those luxuries. The prison doesn't provide food. Instead, the prisoners have set up their own kitchen system, or sorts, where everyone has to buy there food. They get money from jobs at the prison, from friends and family, and from illegal things that go on in the prison. The prison was built for about 2000 inmates, but currently houses around 8000, so, as you can imagine, it's very crowded. There are just men sitting and standing everywhere, with really nothing to do...a very hopeless enviornment, in some respects.

We talked to a lot of kids that the servant team had never met, but did see Freddy (I mentioned him in an earlier email). Seeing him was really encouraging. He is involved in a Christian recovery program at the prison, and it seemed like God is doing some good things in Freddy, so good to see that his time in prison can be redeemed, in a way. Seeing him made me realize, though, how hard prison must be for the kids who live on the streets. They don't have family that will come see them, and most of their friends don't have the means to visit. He asked about all his friends, said to tell them hi, even wrote one a letter for us to deliver...I can't describe it acurately, but that whole scene brought a big smile to my face and huge tears in my eyes, all at once...seems to happen a lot lately.

Funny thing about prison...women all have to wear skirts when they visit. I didn't bring a skirt to Peru, but, have to fear, in true Peruvian style, there is a vendor waiting to solve my problem. We rented skirts at a booth outside. I wore the ugliest sweater skirt...I wish I had picutres to share, but, you'll just have to sue your imagination....it was pretty funny.

The other big event of the last few weeks was the retreat we took 17 of hte youth on this past Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. As a Servant Team, we have been saving all the money that is left over from out weekly allowance for basic living. We heard that the last team saved enogh to take the kids on a little retreat, so we made that our goal. We almost ran out of time, had some mescommunications about dates, thought we didn't have enough money, and got stressed out over it, but, in the end, it was a smashing success.

The retreat was held at a center in the country about 2 hours outside of Lima. It's owned by a seminary that's affliciated with a church that some of the staff attend in Lima. There was a river and pool to swim in, a campfire every night (I was in charge of handing out hotdogs to roast the first night...big mistake, putting pushover Jane in charge of hotdogs...several kids had four or five, I think, but then we ran out before several of the staff even had one...whoops!), a little chapel (with a thatched roof that leaked on us the night it rained), a big dining hall, a soccer field and other lovely green spaces....its was awesome. We organized some games and activities (including an art project that turned out "abstract" at best), but also gave them plenty of time to just relax and enjoy their time away from the reality of their lives. Monica and I shared a room with four of the five girls, each of whom has a child. Let me just say that sleeping in a room with four kids, all under 3, is not the most restful thing. I wouldn't trade it, though, because I really got to know the girls in a new one. I feel like I am much more their friend now, which is awesome. There are many stories to be told, but most would lose their essence in an email, so you'll just have to ask me about them later.

Oh, yes, almost forgot to mention Thanksgiving. It was awesome! The staff from Bolivia visited for the holiday, so all together, we had about 25 people at our Thanksgiving feast. Monica, Jill, and I were in chrage of making pies, which takes on a whole new meaning when it's done in a kitchen with zero counter space, an oven that is only big enough for one pie at a time (until Carmen showed us the rack to stack them, but then the bottom of the bottom pie gets burnt unless you remember to rotate them...trust me), not to mention that the oven doesn't have any temperature markings on the dial. We made it, though, and the pies were a smashing success.

The boys were in charge of applesauce, which was hilarious as well, because they bought really cheap apples that disintegrated on the peeler, so Aaron and I ended up peeling many with a knife over the trashcan. Then they ran out of gas before the sauce was completely done, so they put it in the blended to get rid of the big chunks. So it looked really smooth, but was actually a little crunchy. It was great, though...I wish you could hear our laughter in the midst of making all that food, though...great memories.

Wow, what else to tell you al? As I get ready to come home, my list of questions about Peru and life in general seems to be getting longer, not shorter...but in a good way, so I can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back.

For those of you who might be wondering, I get back to Omaha at 11:45am on Wednesday, December 15, on a Delta flight from Atlanta.

Love you all lots...I'll see you stateside in less than a week!